Stirrings
by Perseverance
Summary: It begins with a murder and Detective Kaoru Kamiya finds herself clashing with the mysterious vampire –Kenshin Himura.
1. Chapter 1

This is an on-going drabble story that I'm putting up because of the Halloween spirit. I'm glad to get away from the college books. The on-going drabble story will have several chapters. The characters –I must warn- are out of character. The story is an alternate universe.

Title: Stirrings

Began: 10.31.2007

Category: Supernatural/Suspense/Romance

Rated: T- violence, adult language, and adult content.

Summary: It begins with a murder and Detective Kaoru Kamiya finds herself clashing with the mysterious vampire –Kenshin Himura.

Disclaimer: I am not the sole owner of Rurouni Kenshin anime. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the proud owner of it. But I do own my story, thanks to the inspiration from Profiler and X-Files.

**Chapter One**

Blood pooled around the lifeless body. There was not much of a face left where the young woman stood. She stepped back an inch to avoid the blood. She inhaled a deep breath as she remembered she worked on worse cases and seen worse things.

But it was worse when the murder was done on purpose in a neighborhood that included humans, werewolves, vampires, witches, and mages. It made the evidence to find the perpetrator harder.

Fog clouded the dense air in the alleyway, adding a misty scent to the already foul scent of blood in her nostrils. She coughed behind her hand and covered her nose briefly to stop the churning in her stomach. There were brief flashes as the rest of the cops got to the crime scene to clean the site. A photographer took quick shots of the dead body.

"Detective Kamiya, what have you been up to?" the officer asked behind the camera. Automatically, his shining blue eyes latched with her blue eyes. His smile brightened his face causing her lips to quirk in a small smile. She was contented to have distraction for a little while.

"Nothing much," she answered. "Just stopped watching a movie and left my bag of nachos on the couch at home. You know tonight is my movie night."

The officer snorted at her and went around her to angle his camera in a new direction before taking pictures. Random people began hurling around the crime scene, curious to know what happened and who died tonight. She shook her head and walked around the crime scene. Once again, her face turned grim as she observed the lifeless body surrounded by blood.

The victim was a man who looked as though he were not passing through the neighborhood. By his clothes alone, she knew he was not from a rough neighborhood. Sprawled out on the pavement, his tattered clothes were name brand clothes. Judging by his silky black shirt, navy blue jeans, and leathered shoes, his attire was expensive. His body was soiled in blood and marred with deep slashes from legs to ribs. Only his hands and throat remained in perfect condition as though the killer did not bother to attack the victim there.

Turning her face away from the lifeless body, she felt her heart filled with sorrow. Every since she was younger, her father raised her with a belief that all life was precious. The moment her father died trying to solve a case, she joined the police force, hoping to get revenge for her father's death. Several years passed until she was promoted to Homicide. Instead of raising her gun to shoot people, she had to witness dead bodies that reminded her of her father's dead body.

The victim before her could be described in his late twenties. She averaged him to be five feet and eight inches. He had a powerful body, strong muscles to wield a sword.

However, his strength proved no threat to his killer nor did his sword that lay away six inches away from his out stretched hand.

"I wouldn't do so much thinking if I were you Detective Kamiya. You might overlook some things."

Turning her head away from the crime scene, she looked to see the officer put his camera down. His smile never faded from his face. "If you stay here any longer, this place will remain the same."

If possible, he smiled even more. "Is that the way to talk to your partner?"

A ghost of a smile flickered across her pink lips. "You wish you are my partner."

He brought a hand to his chest and feigned a hurt expression. But he did not look hurt with a smile still flickering across his pale lips. "Is that how you really see us?"

"Oh Soujiro," she said. "Will you ever learn?"

"But Kaoru, I did learn." He said her first name. He was one of the few people to call her _Kaoru_. "I learned from the best and that is you."

She was grateful for knowing him. Soujiro Seta had been her best friend since high school and had a strong desire to join the police force. When he met her and discovered her father was a police officer, he insisted to meet her father. Eventually, they became the best of friends and attended the same college. It was as though they walked the same path. After her father died, he took good care of her by checking on her regularly, taking her out to the movies and shopping. He became her family, the brother she never had.

"What I learned from you is how to gather information to key the evidence." The brightness in his face left, but his smile still remained on his face. "There was or were no witnesses claiming to know about how the victim died or who killed the victim. They were partying at the nearest night club."

"You mean Blood Lair."

He nodded his head.

In not all her twenty six years of living, had she not been close to a joint such as Blood Lair. Blood Lair was no ordinary night club. In a rough neighborhood such as this one, humans intermingled with werewolves, vampires, mages, and witches. Blood Lair attracted people of all sorts. It would be harder to find the perpetrator of the crime scene there.

"What makes you think our murderer would hide there?"

"Well, for one, a human couldn't kill this victim like this." He pointed to where the dead body was located, causing Kaoru to turn her head to look at it. "Two, Blood Lair attracts all types of people. It's a great place to hide from the law. Three, we could narrow down the murder, because of his throat."

She shook her head as she looked at him. And she smiled at the fact that he was capable of assisting her to keep a sane head when the situation, such as this one, got too emotionally tough.

"You did learn from the best," she complimented.

"Yes I did," he replied, walking away from the crime scene with her in tow.

Kaoru watched as Soujiro packed his things into his bag once they got to the police car. "Judging by the two horizontal marks at the neck, the attacker is a vampire."

"But why did the vampire leave blood?" asked Soujiro. He frowned, his facial expression displaying confusion.

"Maybe the vampire was interested in subduing his opponent by battling with a sword," she answered. Her mind was deep in thought as she conjured the picture of the crime scene.

"Now that's the part that strikes me. Why use a sword?"

Kaoru could not form an opinion to his question.

"Another part that strikes me is the slashes. Why leave the hands and throat without droplets of blood?"

There was a brief pause as both of them tried to formulate answers. Finally, something struck Kaoru as she remembered Soujiro referring to the horizontal marks across the victim's throat. "The marks on the victim's throat are unusual."

Soujiro's forehead wrinkled as he turned to look at Kaoru with curiosity glinting in his blue eyes.

"Here's another thing to learn Soujiro. A vampire usually leaves two vertical marks on their victim, because before a vampire bites their victim, they tilt their head to create two vertical marks on their victim's throat."

"The vampire never titled his/her head before biting their victim's throat."

"Exactly, as vampire laws clearly state vampires do," Kaoru confirmed. Her approval at her friend shimmered in her eyes as a true smile blossomed on her lips.

But the smile disappeared as fast it appeared. Her face turned grim as she stared intently at him. "Therefore, the vampire we're dealing with either knows he/she broke one of the conducts –the laws of the vampire- or we're dealing with an insane vampire."


	2. Chapter 2

Continued: 11.07.07 

Disclaimer: I am not the sole owner of Rurouni Kenshin anime. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the proud owner of it. But I do own my story.

**Chapter Two**

Kaoru and Soujiro had no choice but to go to Blood Lair. The victim had been declared dead and the police department was able to identify the victim. The victim's name was Akira Kiyosato. His age was twenty nine. And he lived the opposite direction of the rough neighborhood. Kaoru assumed right about him, because he came from the money town where all the rich folks lived.

There was only one conflict dealing with Kiyosato. Kiyosato had no family. He had relation to only one person. That one person worked in Blood Lair, according to the Police Records.

She inhaled a deep breath of air before sitting back in her car seat. The police files fell out her hands as she shut her eyes. The man's name was Enishi Yukishiro. He was thirty years old had been working at Blood Lair for a couple years. It explained one reason Kiyosato came to the rough neighborhood tonight.

"Kaoru, are you alright?" questioned Soujiro as he pulled over the police car into a corner street.

She opened her eyes to watch him stare at her with concern evident in his blue eyes. Yet his smile never faltered from his pale lips. "I'm alright. It just feels like this is going to be a long night."

"I know," he said. "We got this far and it's better we continue while we're figuring things out."

A small smile played across her lips and she nodded her head in acceptance. Latching her hand to the car handle, she pulled the handle to open the door. Instantly, music and voices filled her ears. The smell of smoke, alcohol, drugs, and perfume filled the atmosphere. Once again, Kaoru coughed behind her hand and cover her nose briefly. Checking on Soujiro, she saw him open the door at the other side of the car. With quick movements, he put away the police files in the car compartment located on the right of the steering wheel, removed the car keys from the ignition, and stepped out of the car. They both closed their doors before heading where the crowd was located.

Once in the crowd of people, who were trying to get into Blood Lair, she touched Soujiro on his arm and motioned him with her eyes to follow her. Deftly, she maneuvered her petite frame in the crowd, to avoid bumping into people with Soujiro in tow behind her. They made it to the main entrance of Blood Lair to only be blocked by three large men.

"Where the hell do you think you're going little miss?" She lifted her head to see a tall man gazing at her with speculative eyes. His white clothed frame hovered over her.

"Little miss," the words slipped out of her mouth.

People behind her began to complain about her skipping them in the line.

"Well, you look little," he stated, eyeing her small frame before looking into her eyes.

"And, you're big," she retorted.

"I know," he answered. "That's why I'm standing guard out here, so that people like you will not have the ability to walk pass me and get inside the night club."

He stepped closer to her, causing her to step back.

"That means little miss, that I have to ask you to get in the back of the line."

She simply shook her head, denying his request.

Something flickered in his eyes and a smirk played across his thin lips. "I don't think you have a choice."

"I think she does have a choice," said another voice. Looking beside her, Kaoru saw Soujiro stepped next to her. She was tempted to smile mockingly at the bouncer, but refrained from doing so. Instead, she turned her steady gaze to the tall man before her, daring him to force her to move in the back of the line.

"Who the hell are you?" asked the bouncer as he looked away from her to stare at Soujiro.

Soujiro smiled mockingly and two bouncers behind the white clothed man, moved forward. Soujiro's smile deepened as his blue eyes glittered dangerously. "We are here on police business."

Automatically, Kaoru slipped her wallet from her jeans' pocket and flashed him her badge. She saw how his handsome facial features contorted to astonishment and could not help but smile at his expression.

"So if I were you, I will be careful in calling people names."

The bouncer clothed in white, stopped the other two bouncers from advancing on Kaoru and Soujiro. All while, the crowd behind Kaoru began shouting threats and giving hostile looks at Kaoru and Soujiro.

A woman wheezed passed the three bouncers in attempt to see what the situation was outside of Blood Lair. Kaoru saw how the woman stopped to breathe air before she turned sharply to question the bouncer dressed in white. There were quiet mummers between both of them before the woman turned to look precariously at her and Soujiro.

"Will the both of you please follow me inside?" The woman turned her back to them and began walking inside. The bouncers stepped aside to allow them to follow after the young woman.

Once inside Blood Lair, the pounding of music vibrated through Kaoru's ears. She struggled to walk through the large crowds of people. Soujiro's hand guided her small frame to dodge the swaying body of dancers on the dance floor, before finally reaching the stairs at the other side of the dance floor.

A man dressed in black saw them approached, but with a quick hand gesture from the dark haired woman, the man stepped aside and granted them permission to pass. Reaching upstairs, Kaoru saw the dark haired woman make her way to a tall, lean man lounging peacefully on a couch. His large hand twirled a red substance in a glass before gracefully allowing the liquid to touch his lips. Another man sat across from him, his shorter frame relaxed placidly. Bloody locks framed his handsome face. Well toned arms circled above his head. His eyes were shut as if listening to the pounding rhythm of music deafening Kaoru's ears. But it was the cross-shape scar on his left cheek that drew her eyes and left her wondering –could he be the murderer.

"How may we help you?" asked the woman, breaking Kaoru from her reverie. Immediately, she looked away from the red head and saw the woman drawled behind the man with a glass of red substance. She assumed the red substance to be blood.

"You can begin with introducing yourselves," Soujiro said from next to her.

The woman smiled breathtakingly while draping her slender arms around the tall, lean man lounging peacefully before her. "My name is Misao Makimachi. I am the manager of Blood Lair. Before me is the owner of Blood Lair, Aoshi Shinomori. Sitting across from Aoshi is Kenshin Himura. He is a dear friend or ours and is in charge of security at Blood Lair."

"How long have you been working here Makimachi?" Soujiro questioned.

"I've been working at Blood Lair, since the night club first opened. I believe that was ten years ago."

"How many workers do you have working at Blood Lair?"

"There are about seventy workers."

"How many are vampires?"

Misao paused with answering the question. Her lovely face frowned at the general question. Before, she could ask a question of her own, Aoshi jumped the gun. "Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the question," declared Soujiro with a bit of impatience.

"I asked you a question," replied the icy tone of Aoshi Shinomori.

The challenging question forced Kaoru to intervene between both men. "My name is Detective Kamiya and this is my partner Seta and we're asking questions that involve a crime scene." Soujiro and her briefly showed them their badges, however, the red headed man did not open his eyes or shift in his seat. Instead, he remained unfazed about their identities.

Misao frowned even more, but complied with answering Soujiro's questions. "About twenty workers are vampires."

"Do you know if any of them finish work before twelve at night?"

"None of our workers finish work before midnight. We have shifts that are required for different races, whether they are humans, wolves, vampires, mages, and witches. We consider midnight to be a taboo hour, because the midnight hour bewitches people."

Kaoru knew that and nodded her head in understanding.

"Do you know Enishi Yukishiro?" inquired Soujiro.

"Yes I do," responded Misao. Her lovely face paled. Kaoru saw how the woman's grasp of Aoshi's clothing tightened. "But, he's not a vampire…"

"What is his relationship to you?" Soujiro's voice darkened, causing Kaoru to look at Soujiro with a baffled expression on her face.

"What's going on?" The man sitting before Misao uprooted from his spot. His drink was no longer in his hand. Instead, his drink was on the table and Misao moved from behind him, to stand next to him.

"What is his relationship to you?"

"We'll play along for now," answered another voice, causing Kaoru and Soujiro to glance at the red headed man still relaxing in his seat across from the couple, Aoshi and Misao. His eyes remained closed.

"He's a good friend as well as a worker at Blood Lair," replied Misao quickly. Her calm, even playful composure was gone. She looked anxious while her wide green eyes flashed with concern.

"How long has he been working at Blood Lair?"

"Two years."

"Does he have any enemies you can recall of?"

Misao's face grew paler. "No."

"Do you know anyone who might hold a grudge against him?"

"No."

"Is there anyone who might envy him?"

"No."

"Is there someone whom complained about him or filed reports against him at Blood Lair?"

"No."

"Has he ever mentioned anyone whom he had a fight with?"

Misao was silent for a moment. Her large green eyes looked down at her feet before answering, "Yes."

Kaoru's expression turned grim. "Do you remember the person whom he mentioned he had a fight with?"

"Yes," said Misao. "His name is Akira Kiyosato."

"We played along, now tell us what's going on," demanded a dangerously smooth voice. Kaoru shifted her gaze from Misao to the red headed man still perching placidly in his seat. His well toned arms were still circled above his head. His eyes still remained closed.

He looked familiar, as if she encountered him before. But, where did she meet him?

Her mouth opened to tell him and the others about the victim's death, but the words died in her throat. She kept her eyes focused on the red headed man, as if waiting for him to open his eyes.

"We're here because we are investigating a homicide." Soujiro answered eventually. The atmosphere intensified, as two men and one woman waited to hear more information. "The victim is Akira Kiyosato."

Misao gasped, while Aoshi flinched. But, it was the red headed man that kept Kaoru rooted to her spot. His eyes opened at the brief mention of the victim's name and the bright flash of something bright in eyes made Kaoru regret coming to Blood Lair, tonight.

* * *

AN: No flames, please. I would like to know what you think of the fanfiction. 


	3. Chapter 3

Continued: 01.10.08

Disclaimer: I am not the sole owner of Rurouni Kenshin anime. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the proud owner of it. But I do own my story.

**Chapter Three **

Kaoru dashed out the nightclub with speed. She maneuvered her small frame through the swaying bodies on the dance floor and flitted through tight spaces among the crowd of people swarming to get into Blood Lair. She wanted out from the hellhole; she needed to get away from him.

Those eerie golden eyes, which reminded her of the scorching sun in a desert, haunted her from childhood. She remembered things that were best forgotten. It was because of the tragic incidents from her past, she chose to join the police force. Her father was a hell of a detective. She was gifted with his talent to solve cases. However, every talent had a curse. Her father's penitence for solving cases put his life in danger. It was because he was on the brink of solving a personal case, that he was murdered.

And that was the reason why she left Blood Lair in a hurry. If she, like her father, continued to investigate the murder case, she would end up dead at home.

Besides, Kaoru broke the main rule during her investigation of Kiyosato's death. She did not make the phone call to Captain Saito to inform him about the evidence of Kiyosato's death or to clue him about relaying Kiyosato's death to a man named Enishi Yukshiro.

She stopped before the police car and inhaled a shaky breath. She pressed her forehead against the cool surface of the car window and covered the profile of her face with both of her hands. Kaoru closed her eyes for a brief moment at the mere remembrance of that name "Yukishiro." It happened so long ago when she was a freshman at college. Her best friend was a beautiful cheerleader who had long gorgeous silky raven hair and captivating dark brown eyes. The cheerleader was adored by everyone in her school. They basically worshipped the girl because she was compassionate, kind-hearted, sincere, honest, and graceful. The cheerleader came from a family filled with money, but the girl never showed off her money like the other rich kids did at school. Instead, the girl was a down to earth girl and chose Kaoru to be best friends with. Then, there was an older brother who loved his sister dearly. He never did like her and Kaoru could not deny his disgust toward her. She was a serious, ambitious girl who made the highest grades in all her classes. She was the studious type of girl who stuck her nose in a book and who knew the latest rumors in the school. When mysterious things happened at school, Kaoru and her best friend was on the case, searching for clues to solve the case. The girl's older brother detested that and did everything in his will power to stop them. But one day things got out of hand, and Kaoru blamed herself for what happened to her best friend.

Kaoru choked on a sob as she covered her face with both hands. She refused to remember the tragic incident back then. She denied the girl's name to form from her lips. All she knew was that she was responsible for the tragic incidents in her past and to face the man that she created havoc on, to face the man whom swore vengeance upon her soul; she could not face him nor relay another tragic event to him.

She shook her head violently until long strands of raven hair fell loose from her ponytail to the sides of her face. Her breaths came out as gasps for air, as she struggled to control her breathing. Now, was not the time to panic? It was time to breathe clearly and think logically.

When she felt she had her breathing under control, Kaoru wiped away the excess moisture from her face. She tucked loose raven strands behind her ears and searched her right jeans' pocket for her cell phone. Once the cell phone was in her hand, she pressed a dial speed number that would link her to Captain Saito.

After a few rings, a tone of a rumble answered the phone. "Captain Saito, its Detective Kamiya speaking."

He huffed on the other end of the phone and Kaoru imagined him smoking in his office and being caught during his free leisure.

"I am calling to summarize my progress on the homicide case. There was or were no witnesses. The victim is a man named Akira Kiyosato. His body has been slashed, only his hands and throat remain in good condition. There is a sword he was carrying and was using it for self defense. Also, there are marks on his neck that proves a vampire is his killer."

"Were you able to track the vampire beyond the point of the crime scene?" asked Captain Saito.

"No sir, I was not able to track the vampire. However, due to the circumstance of the situation, the blood was still fresh when the police got to the crime scene. Also, the murder was predicted to happen during midnight, seeing that I arrived at the crime scene at 12:20am. The murderer needed to get somewhere quick and the best place for the vampire to seek shelter is Blood Lair."

"The bewitched hour and a nightclub filled with vampires, wolves, mages, witches, and humans. Both of them make some connection. I assume you went to Blood Lair without my permission."

Kaoru breathed in deeply before answering honestly. "Yes I did."

She heard Saito's amusement on the other end of the phone before he replied. "You are your father's daughter. Just like him, you took two steps ahead of the investigation without notifying anyone in charge."

"With all do respect sir, the killer may have been still lurking in Blood Lair and Seta and I would have been able to pinpoint him or her. The blood from the victim would have been on the murderer's clothing or the vampire will still be insane because of the bewitched hour."

"However, Detective Seta and you did not find anyone who fitted the description," interrupted Saito.

She ran a hand through her bangs and blew at them. "Yes sir, we were intermittent when the manager of Blood Lair took Seta and I to the V.I.P. lounge area where the owner and the head of security were."

"Did you discover any new information?"

"Twenty workers out of seventy workers are vampires and the shifts of the vampire workers are prepped in a way that no vampire leaves or comes to work at midnight or anytime during midnight."

The raspy sound at the other end of the phone told Kaoru that Captain Saito was chuckling. "You are so very much like your father. What are the names of the manager and the other people you met at the V.I.P. lounge area? Did you find any contact information from the victim?"

Kaoru inhaled another shaky breath into her lungs. She closed her eyes and once again pressed her forehead against the car. Unlike her father, she did not have the guts to continue on a personal case.

"Kaoru?" Her name was questioned by Captain Saito when she did not respond to his questions immediately.

"The name of the manager is Misao Makimachi. The name of the owner of Blood Lair is Aoshi Shinomori. And the name of the person in charge of security is Kenshin Himura."

"What?" asked Captain Saito. His voice got rougher on the phone.

"The name of the..."

"Not that part. Mention the last name," Captain Saito ordered.

"Kenshin Himura."

There was silence on the phone before Captain Saito continued his questioning. "What's the emergency contact information?"

"The only relation Kiyosato had was with a man by the name of Enishi…" she stopped speaking or more like her voice died out when she had to mention the last name.

"Kaoru? Answer me."

"His name is…" She stopped again and banged her head against the police car door. The past memories were flooding visions through her closed eyes and she found herself standing up quickly and opening her eyes. Just standing beside her was her partner and he was listening to how she was answering the Captain's questions. Since when was he standing beside her? How did he accost her without her knowing? She must have been in an emotionally turmoil state. With careful hands, Soujiro pried her hand away from her cell phone and continued where she left off. "His name is Enishi Yukishiro."

There were quiet exchange of words between both men and Kaoru realized she had no care to find out what the topic was between both of them. Instead, she walked ahead of the car and found herself staring into the night sky. In a way, the poorly lighted sky offered her solace. In a moment she could be distracted from the dreadful night's events. However, reality had ways of crashing back into her life.

"Kaoru?" Soujiro called her name, causing her to glance back at him. He handed her the phone and gestured her to talk to Captain Saito.

With a nod of her head, she did that. When she heard the Captain's voice on the other end of the cell phone, it was more quiet then usual. It meant it was something personal that only she and the Captain Saito knew about. "Kaoru you are off the case." Also, he was one of the few people to use her first name.

"But…"

"You will not handle this case." It was a firm order from Captain Saito.

"But…"

"Kaoru, this case is personal. If you further your investigation on this homicide case, you will end up dead like your father or worse…"

Kaoru interrupted Captain Saito, "But I may be the only one who could solve this case."

"I know that," Captain Saito said calmly. "However, this case is putting your life and your identity in danger. If something happens to you, Kaoru, your father will never forgive me."

Kaoru slowly shook her head. The truth was her father and Captain Saito was once partners. Captain Saito was her father's best friend and he looked out for her after her father's death. In fact, he handled many of her father's personal cases. When Captain Saito referred to her identity, it was one of her father's personal cases.

"If I back out…" She remembered how she dashed out of Blood Lair without informing Yukishiro about Kiyosato's death. She saw Yukishiro the moment she saw the eerie golden eyes of the man named Kenshin Himura. Yukishiro was heading their way and she realized that the red headed vampire called him to her and Soujiro. The moment she saw his tall lean form, his unusual eye color, the spiky silver hair, and the shiny small spectacles that he wore as his trademark, she dashed toward the steps that led to the dance floor. She could have sworn before hitting the stairs that she saw Himura's lips turned into a lopsided smirk. She definitely felt his eyes burning through her figure as she tried to squeeze herself out of Blood Lair. Overall, she was not fit for solving this case. "If I back out, whose case is it?"

"I will give the case to another person I trust to leave you out of it."

Kaoru only knew one other person who had her father's talent when it came to solving cases and that one other person was Okita Souji.

"Okita Souji will take charge of the case and Soujiro Seta will be his partner. Is it settled?"

If Okita took charge of the case, it meant it was a dangerous and serious case. The likes of her talent would not be needed and her identity could be kept a secret.

"It is," she concluded.

"Alright, then come into my office first thing tomorrow morning." Captain Saito hung up his phone. She closed her lid of her cell phone and placed it in her jeans' pocket. She sigh a huge relief and smiled a small smile at her partner standing on the opposite side of the police car. His blue eyes inspected her with concern and she shook her head at him.

The moment Kaoru opened her door; he opened the other side of his door and settled in the driver's seat. Only when she seated herself comfortably in the passenger's seat, did he say something. "I won't ask why you fled from Blood Lair and I won't ask why he took you off the case, but I need to know who I will be working with from now on."

Her hands clenched the hem of her shirt and she swallowed before relaxing completely in her seat. Soujiro got the message to start the car and as he did so, he pulled away from the parking spot and drove her home.

While looking out the window, she answered him. "You will be working with Okita Souji." The moment she answered him, she turned her attention to him and was astounded by the reaction of working with an elite Senior Detective. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as his smile disappeared. She frowned and wondered why Soujiro would not be interested in working with someone who knew how to solve homicide cases well. But she did not question him, because like him, she respected private matters.

The car pulled over once again and Kaoru found herself in front of her shabby building. She opened the car door and removed herself from the passenger seat. "I will see you at work tomorrow."

Soujiro nodded his head and his smile appeared across his pale lips. "Get a good night rest, Kaoru."

She wondered if she would get a good night rest. After viewing dead bodies, she found herself awake for most of the night. This particular night was not any different from the other homicide cases. In fact, this case was the worst case, because it seemed her past came knocking on her door.

"I will," she lied as she turned around and headed toward her shabby building. The police car disappeared the moment she walked into the building and climbed three flights of stairs to her small crabby apartment. By the time she reached the outside of her apartment, she had her apartment keys in her hand, ready to unlock the door. But the door was already open.

Stiffening, her hand reflexively reached out for her gun. Aiming her gun, she crept quietly near her door. Her outstretched hands clutched the gun while her arms stiffly held the gun in place. Counting to three, Kaoru kicked open her door and aimed the gun in all directions of her living room. From the dim light in the hallway, she saw no one in her living room.

However, what she least expected when she entered her living room was for her door to slam shut and for a hand to cover her mouth. Her room became quite dark and her gun was knocked out of her hands. Instead, her small frame was pulled roughly against a hard lean frame. She felt a warm breath by her right ear as iron arms squeezed her body.

"We have many things to talk about, Kaoru Kamiya." She knew that voice from anywhere. It was the same voice that interrupted Soujiro while he questioned Misao Makimachi and Aoshi Shinomori at Blood Lair. It was the same smooth voice that caused her body to shiver in fear. Craning her neck, she saw the same eerie golden eyes watching her.

This homicide was the worst case, because her past came right through _her_ door.

* * *

AN: School is over and I have free time to update. I hope this chapter isn't confusing. As you can see, Kaoru's personality changes because this homicide case is a personal case. I am planning to reveal more about Kaoru's past in the next chapter, thus some questions that are not answered will soon be revealed. 

Please, no flames. And I will like to know what you think so far.


	4. Chapter 4

Continued: 05.05.2008

Disclaimer: I am not the sole owner of Rurouni Kenshin anime. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the proud owner of it. But I do own my story.

AN: Italic font stands for past events (flashbacks).

**Chapter Four**

_Kaoru sat in the corner of the café, sipping her tea while reading her textbook for one of her college classes. The book was a slight distraction from her real duty. She had to recruit members into her mystery club she created. However, no one was interested in it. They were interested in the other clubs pertaining to their majors. Shaking her head, she picked the cup of tea and blew lightly at it. If no one was interested in her club, she could maintain it on her own. _

_Sipping her tea, her eyes looked down at her open textbook in her lap and immediately she noticed a feminine shadow hovering over her. Looking up, she saw a beautiful woman staring uncertainly at her. The woman looked down at her hands and then looked at her once again. _

_Could it be that the woman was interested in her club? Or was she going to ask for the notes from one of their classes? _

_Kaoru examined the woman's attire carefully, because she swore she knew her from somewhere. The woman wore Nike sneakers with white socks. Her legs were bare, but she wore a white skirt with red and green patterns. The fitted shirt had the same red and green patterns. But the clothes had the school logo. Damn! The woman was a cheerleader. Instantly looking into the face of the cheerleader, she saw the luxurious black hair, the dark brown eyes, the small nose, and the curvy pink lips. _

_Kaoru's eyes widened as she realized who was standing before her. Tomoe Yukishiro, the highly adored and most popular girl was standing in front of her. Glancing down at her book, she folded the edge of her page before closing it. Also, she put down her cup of tea before she spilled the contents on her lap out of pure shock._

_Clearing her throat, she tried to say something, but her throat was dry. Why would a cheerleader talk to her?_

"_I will like to talk about your club," the cheerleader said._

"_Umm… What would you like to talk about?" Kaoru asked nervously. Quickly her eyes searched the room around the beautiful woman and saw how the other students stared ghastly at them._

"_I wanted to know more about your club," the cheerleader answered. "I heard a couple days ago that a student formed a new club since the school lacked clubs pertaining outside the major study fields of college."_

_Was the woman challenging her club? She knew the cheerleader could remove the club with a snap of her manicured fingers. With a brief pause, Kaoru finally answered. "You heard correctly." _

"_Since you're recruiting members in the café, I wanted ask what fields of qualifications are you looking for in your members."_

_Kaoru gaped at the girl. Was the cheerleader being serious or was she pulling her leg? High School was over and the days of popular students playing pranks on the nerdy kids were gone. The college had hundreds of students and everyone was too busy to tease or pull pranks on other students. However, she wasn't the only nerd in the café. There were a group of mathematic maniacs sitting on the opposite end of the café and a group of science nerds sitting six feet away from her. And they were looking at her and the cheerleader standing in front of her. _

"_I never had experience with solving mysteries, but I know most of the students and professors in the school. I have access to the highest officials in the Senior Council and the College Board. I get permitted to enter the rooms that average students are not allowed to enter. I can assist you with solving mysteries."_

_Two days ago, Kaoru would have laughed at the predicament of having the mystery club not gaining any members. Her club would have been filled with the enlightened minds of criminal majors, forensic science majors, or law majors. Tomoe Yukishiro was a studio art major with her mind set on learning a diverse area of art. The cheerleader came from a family of money and she would never have to work a day in her life to earn a salary._

"_Why are you interested in the mystery club?" asked Kaoru. She titled her head to the side and she looked up at the woman with a curious expression in her eyes._

_The woman looked down at her hands again. Her hands intertwined and the woman spoke with a serene tone. "I have an interest to learn things. When I'm interested in something particular, I ask questions and then find the answer. Mysteries are like an answer to questions. The more you analyze a situation, the more you can narrow down the possibilities and find the answer."_

_And once again, Kaoru gaped at the woman. Yukishiro wasn't only a beautiful cheerleader. She was intelligent as well._

"_What can you offer if you become a member in the mystery club?"_

"_I mentioned about knowing people. With knowing the right people and having access to most places in the school that average students are not permitted, I can assist you with solving cases. Furthermore, if I join your club, we will be asked to solve the unusual cases."_

_Closing her eyes, Kaoru inhaled a deep breath. Yukishiro sounded like a professional business woman. She researched her information well and knew how to present it to get what she wanted. However, Kaoru could not accept the cheerleader in her club. Shaking her head, she opened her eyes to look at the dark haired beauty._

"_I'm sorry."_

_The cheerleader frowned and Kaoru shook her head. Her expression dimmed with the thought of the future for her club._

"_I'm sorry I won't be able to accept you."_

"_Why?"_

"_During the past two days of recruiting new members, no one has taken interest in the mystery club. They say it's a waste of time and precious money from the college. The mystery club is heading for a disaster. If you joined, the club will be frowned upon," Kaoru sadly explained. There was a moment of silence. The cheerleader seemed lost in her thoughts and Kaoru thinking it was a form of rejection moved forward in her seat to reach her textbook._

"_But if I joined your club, I can talk with the Senior Council and reason with them to allow the mystery club to remain on schedule with all the other school clubs," the woman made Kaoru freeze in her spot._

_Looking up at the woman, there was a flicker of hope in her eyes, before they sullen. "Excuse me."_

"_Seriously, they will override the fact of the mystery club to be removed from the schedule of school clubs. In fact, it's within my power to make the mystery club an enlightened club. The only downfall is we will have to be the only two members of the club."_

_Kaoru flinched in her spot. The idea of her and the most popular cheerleader maintaining a club seemed misplaced. One girl was a studious type, the other was creative. However, the both of them had gifts that walked hand in hand. If Kaoru used her logic to question and analyze situations whereas Yukishiro used her influence to make things happen, then the mystery club had a bright future._

"_When can you make it happen?" asked Kaoru._

"_Huh?" Yukishiro was taken aback._

"_How long will it take to make the mystery club an enlightened club?"_

"_Give me two weeks. I need information, statistics, and high official recommendations to make it happen." There was a hint of a smile on Yukishiro's lips. "Of course, I will need your help." _

"_Then you have a deal. Welcome to the mystery club Yukishiro." A big smile played across Kaoru's lips. By Yukishiro making the club into an enlightened club, the club will be granted privileges such as having an office with a telephone, a computer with access to the school's database, and a reliable printer that make numerous copies of important information. There were more privileges the enlightened clubs received then the regular clubs. If Yukishiro made it happen, it meant she was serious about joining the club and it wasn't a prank. And if the club became an enlightened club, both women would become successful._

"_Not Yukishiro. Please call me Tomoe." Kaoru shook hands with her._

_--_

The irony of life…

A person could forget moments of his/her past or could move on with his/her life to only have it return one day.

That's what happened with Kaoru. Her past returned with full force as she felt her back slammed against the wall. The breath was knocked out of her. Strands of raven hair fell in front of her face, obscuring her vision of the man, no vampire, in front of her. And he was in her apartment to finish an oath he promised the last time he saw her.

"Did the cat catch your tongue?" he asked. His voice got darker and his eyes glowed feral in the dark.

Kaoru shook her head to rid her mind of the memory she remembered, the day she first met the beautiful cheerleader.

"I see." Kenshin raised an eyebrow as he walked toward her. "You always went straight to the point."

Damn! Kaoru forgot one of the abilities Kenshin had being a vampire and that was to read minds. However, some strong vampires had the power to live the moments from someone's memories. According to the werewolves' society, such strong vampires fed off from someone's memories to gain energy.

Shaking her head once again to clear her mind, she forced her weakened body to stand straight.

The vampire only smiled mockingly at her he stopped accosting her. "I see the past still affects you. Has your years of atonement did any wonders for you?"

Her eyes narrowed as words could not touch her lips.

"But then you are always defensive, little Kaoru." He tilted his head and Kaoru quivered. He was examining her, toying with her, so he could wrap her around his finger. "I wonder why."

Kaoru looked away from him by turning her head to the side. She was always defensive around him, because he was unpredictable. When they first met, he was the one to tease and humiliate her. He was always stalking her whether she was in school or at home. But it was his eyes she remembered most because those eerie yellow eyes only unveiled themselves to her. Around other people, his eyes changed into amethyst and his facial expression turned friendly.

Why? Before meeting her, she never did anything wrong. She lived a lonely life by keeping her distance from people. Soujiro was the only friend and family she had besides Saito and his wife Tokio Hajime. But forming the mystery club in college was her gravest mistake, because it brought her closer to Kenshin Himura.

"You don't remember the encounter?" His voice snapped her back to reality and she was looking into his chilly amber eyes.

"What… what encounter?" she asked in small voice. Finally she said something instead of having him read her thoughts.

He smirked as his hands folded behind his back. It was that gesture that made her look at the lower region of his body and she instantly noticed a long rectangular shape hanging by the side of his waist. Damn! He brought his katana!

The smirk on his face widened into a leering smile. Her body shuddered in fear and she forced herself to close her eyes.

"There was a special encounter in the woods a long time ago," he began. "The group of vampires I was gathering for a special meeting when we smelled something strange."

What the hell was he talking about?

"The something strange we smelled was blood, but the type of blood didn't seem like regular blood. So the group of vampires was dispatched to find the smell and report our findings. If the blood came from a living being, we were to capture it or kill it."

Kaoru shook her head. His voice was making her head fuzzy. Her knees felt like buckling. She leaned heavily against the wall as her breath caught in her throat.

"I was wandering around the woods when I heard a small voice say something. It sounded very child like and then I saw a little girl."

Her hands clenched into fists while she titled her head back against the wall. Shutting her eyes tightly, she struggled to breathe. He was feeding off her energy, but he was also digging in her mind for the forgotten memory.

"I found it weird to find a girl alone in the woods. She was hunched over and crying about something. I thought something bad happened to her so I went to talk to her."

The vampire's voice was creating havoc in her mind. There was a searing pain in her head that caused tears to spring in Kaoru's eyes. She unclenched her fists and cradled her aching head.

"Don't you remember?" The silky voice penetrated something deep in her mind and it stirred to life.

_--_

_Kaoru was eight years old when her father took her on a hike. She looked forward to it all week and did her best with completing all her homework and school chores before the hike. However, her father said the hike had to do with work business. It meant he brought Uncle Saito along on the hike too._

_But somewhere along the hike, Kaoru got separated from her father and Uncle Saito. She found herself in the middle of nowhere with only rocks, trees, dirt, the sun, and leaves as companion in the forest. She clearly remembered her father telling her that if she got lost in the forest to stay in one spot and wait for someone to rescue her. As long as Kaoru waited by herself in a forest with nothing but nature as a companion, she would get frightened because she was alone. Not heeding the words of her father, she began to wander aimlessly in the forest._

_The sun began to set and Kaoru rushed through the forest, blindly looking for somewhere with benches or a campsite with tents. But she didn't look where she was going and fell over a large branch partially buried in the dirt. That was when the strange encounter happened._

_Her hands outstretched to stop the upper part of her body from hitting the floor. One of her knees badly scraped the side of the large branch and as she fell to the ground, a cry escaped her lips. Tears began to fall from her eyes and she curled into a fetal position. The sky was getting darker, she was alone, tired, and hungry. The wound on her knee hurt and she felt the warm sticky liquid against her knee._

_She cried harder when she moved her knee. She hid her face behind her arms as loose strands of raven hair fell around her shoulders and back. She murmured incoherent words, praying for her father and Uncle Saito to find her soon._

"_I promise to be a good girl," she whispered at last. Slowly, she wiped the tears from her face. "I won't leave my daddy's side anymore."_

_Her hands went to clutch her wound and she noticed the bleeding still didn't stop._

_All of a sudden she heard twigs and leaves snap at her side. Alert, her body stilled and she stopped her crying to listen to the sound carefully. Again, she heard some small branches snapping in front of her. Peering through her hands, her small voice called, "Daddy."_

_She saw small boots and faded blue jeans in front of her. Her eyes wandered up the form and saw a dirty white long sleeve shirt. A flash of red caught her eyes, but it was the bright glowing eyes that shocked her. The person wasn't her father. Instead there was a stranger staring at her._

_He kneeled down and slowly spread his hands to his side, but Kaoru shifted away from him and forced her mouth to stay shut. She didn't want the stranger to hear her pain or else he would hurt her. However, the pain on her leg increased when she tried her best to move away from him. Tears fell from her eyes and she looked away from him in shame._

"_What happened?" he asked in a soothing tone. She put a hand over her wound while she gazed at the ground. "Did something make you fall on the ground?"_

_The stranger moved closer to her and her other hand moved to her chest. Immediately the stranger stilled as if recognizing her defensive state._

"_I'm sorry," he said lightly. "I didn't mean to scare you. I heard you crying when I was over there." He pointed behind him. His face turned away from her and she got a good look at his form. He wasn't taller then her. In fact, he wasn't an adult. He was a child like her and he looked her age. But for a boy his size, he had muscles which rippled under his shirt and Kaoru gulped. Normally, a human child wouldn't have muscles. It meant he wasn't human. Then what was he? Why was he in the woods alone? Or was he in the woods alone?_

_Oh boy! Kaoru looked away from the red haired boy and frantically started looking around her in the woods. Craning her neck and momentarily enduring the pain, she gritted her teeth while her eyes searched for something out of the ordinary._

"_Don't worry." The boy turned to look at her. "There's no one around here for now."_

_What did he mean by "here for now?" Little Kaoru wanted to ask that, but her throat felt parched from not having anything to drink since morning. Talking seemed like a bad idea._

_Yet somehow he knew what to say. "The people you want to find will find you." _

_The red head shifted closer to her and looked at her knee. "Your wound looks bad. It seems like you've been bleeding for awhile."_

_How did he know this stuff? _

"_I can stop the bleeding and make the pain go away if you want me to."_

_Kaoru's eyes widened with surprise. Could he really stop the bleeding and make the pain go away? She searched around him, looking for a bag with a first aid kit. Then, her eyes wandered up and down his body, looking for signs of band aids or paper towels._

_He chuckled at her expression. "You look cute when you're worried." Gently he placed his hand over her small hand and lightly he pulled her hand away from the wound. "You see, I'm from a different society."_

_Kaoru started to shift uncomfortably as his head moved closer to her knee._

"_My people don't use things like alcohol or band aids to stop the bleeding. Instead, we are gifted with different methods to stop the bleeding."_

_The moment his tongue darted from his mouth to touch her wounded knee, she knew he wasn't human. She shivered in fear as his tongue swirled around the wound, licking away the blood. Her eyes closed and her hands clenched into small fists as his tongue delved into the wound._

_A sound escaped her lips and he leaned back from her wound. If possible, his eyes turned a brighter color which reminded her of the sun. Both her hands clutched her knees as she looked at him with fear. His tongue licked away the remaining blood away from his lips and she saw a glint of one of his fangs._

"_Your blood is different," he whispered. And Kaoru realized that the boy standing in front of her was a vampire._

"_It's strange for a human girl to have this kind of blood." Kaoru cringed in fear. In the back of her mind, she noticed that the wound on her knee didn't hurt anymore. In fact, the bleeding stopped. Shouldn't she be grateful to the boy?_

"_What's your name?" the boy asked. His voice turned darker and the aura around his body grew tenser. She turned her attention to the floor, because she was scared of him. "You should be grateful, because I saved you."_

_She breathed in deeply, but it hurt to breathe. Her head began to hurt. Her eyes watered and the vision of him became blurry. The pounding at her temples caused her hands to cradle her head. She cried out._

_Should she tell him her name was Kaoru Kamiya? Or that her father and her uncle were searching for her? She shook her head as the pain got worse and a scream tore from her parched throat. It filled the silent evening before she passed out._

_--_

"You remembered," the voice stated bringing her back from her memory. Once again, he lived the moment of her memory and fed on her energy.

Kaoru felt the vampire let go the grasp he had at the corned of her head. The moment he let go, she fell down. Her body was too weak, because he took away a lot of her energy. Her breathing was shallow as she inhaled precious oxygen into her lungs.

His lips twisted in a sardonic smile as he accosted her. He stopped a couple inches away from her and bent down. Kaoru peered through the messy inky hair covering most of her face. Her eyes clashed with eerie amber eyes. His smile widened. "Now let's talk about business. Let's talk about the real reason why I'm here, Kamiya."

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AN: Okay, I cut this chapter in half, because there's a lot going on. I wanted you readers to understand that Kaoru is reliving her past because of Kenshin's ability to feed off of her energy. But from here on forth, the story is going to get more complicated for me to write and it's going to be a challenge. Anyhow, I have to thank one of my LJ posts dealing with sweet blood, because it inspired me to write this chapter. You'll see what I mean in the next chapter.

Also to answer one of the reviewer's questions. The difference between a personal homicide case and regular homicide case is:

Personal homicide case is when a case involves personal relationships in the detective's life such as family, friends, and anyone else the detective personally knows.

Regular homicide is when the case involves a stranger killing another person. The detective doesn't know the killer or the victim personally.

Please no flames. I will like to know what you think.


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